I managed to chat with Ryan Schneider from Insomniac Games this past weekend at GC Leipzig and he gave me a good deal of information about Ratchet and Clank: Future Tools of Destruction including a good run through of many of the weapons.

The story goes like this. The Intergalactic computer with the answers to all the questions is in the hands of pirates and in order to get it back Ratchet and Clank need to infiltrate the pirates and stop them.

"We wanted to get back to roots," Ryan said as he opened the demonstration, "so this game is based on four pillars: mystery, variety, adventure and spectacle." Well the game certainly has all of that. While the last games were based more on combat this goes, as Ryan said, back to the roots of platform gaming. But this game is more than that. "We want that 'Wow!' effect,' Ryan said meaning they want people to see the game and simply say Wow from the gameplay all the way down to the fur on Ratchet's ears. They even managed to get an entire level where you solely fly. Not so much platforming as shmup but from what I have seen I am certain it will be cool.

The levels are more open-ended and each one can be done in different ways depending on the players personal choice and utilization of the weapons available. With over 60 different types of enemies you will need to conserve your limited ammo and think strategically. One of the tools you can use is a pirate costume that fools the pirates into thinking you're one of them. "You can Yar one of them and they'll yar you back," Ryan said in demonstration before laughing and saying "I think I just made yar into a verb."

I spent some time playing it on Sunday and I must say it does go back to the roots of the series. The opening levels are, while filled with enemies, about getting from place to place including a great section where you're basically 'boot grinding' down some pipes that have pieces destroyed or electric couplings that you must jump over. Then again on some rails that look to be like mag-lev trains which requires you to keep a close eye on which rail has a train coming down the line.

As in all R&C games you still need to collect the nuts, bolts and springs along the way as well as destroy crates, turn bolts and the like.

At the end of the demo I asked someone about a release date to which I was given "October 23rd. Oh wait that wasn't announced yet." So there you go folks. Exclusive release date info on Ratchet & Clank: Future Tools of Destruction